Time for Transition in Algeria

The landslide re-election of Algeria’s 77-year-old president, Abdelaziz Bouteflika, last Thursday to a fourth term comes as no surprise. Despite reports that many younger Algerian voters stayed home, as well as accusations from the political opposition of election fraud, the official tally gave Mr. Bouteflika an incredible 81.5 percent of the vote. Mr. Bouteflika is in such fragile health following a stroke last year that he did not participate in three weeks of campaigning, and he cast his vote from a wheelchair.

It is past time for Algeria to move toward a more open society and a more diverse economy. Mr. Bouteflika and his government, led by a small group of army generals and intelligence officials, many of whom are also in their 70s, enjoy support among older Algerians who credit them with ending a civil war during the 1990s that claimed up to 200,000 lives. Still, there is discontent among Algerians under the age of 45, who make up four-fifths of the country’s 37 million people. Youth unemployment has steadily increased in recent years in Algeria’s overly oil-dependent economy, and riots and demonstrations have increased as well.

For years, the Algerian government has managed to keep its grip on power and a lid on social upheaval by a combination of political repression and generous social handouts financed by the country’s oil wealth. A 2001 decree bans all demonstrations in Algiers, the capital, and the authorities are quick to crack down on public political gatherings elsewhere.

Basic freedoms of association, peaceful assembly, collective bargaining and movement into and out of Algeria are severely restricted. According to Human Rights Watch, on the eve of the election, police detained and beat members of the new movement Barakat! (“Enough!” in Arabic), whose members opposed a fourth term, as they headed toward a peaceful protest at Algiers University.

This strong-arm strategy cannot be sustained against a changing population. The decree banning demonstrations in Algiers should be repealed. Without legitimate means of dissent and the protection of basic rights, violent uprisings will only increase, threatening Algeria’s stability and that of the entire, already volatile, region.